Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella on Tuesday promised an announcement on “necessary changes” to Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas this week. A day later, a report emerged that organizers are focusing on rescheduling the May festival to October 2 to 4.
Organizers are “planning to postpone” EDC to the first weekend of October and “will announce a reschedule soon,” Billboard reported on Wednesday, attributing it to “a source.”
While Insomniac has not officially announced any postponement or new dates for its flagship event scheduled for May 15 to 17, the festival news and rumors source Festive Owl confirmed Billboard’s report late Wednesday.
Based on Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s current schedule, October 2 to 4 appear a viable option for EDC. South Point 400 Weekend is scheduled for September 25 to 27. Another major race, the Dodge NHRA Nationals, will take place October 29 to November 1. Smaller events are listed for the speedway every weekend after Labor Day through the end of October, except the weekends of October 2 and October 23. Late October can be considerably colder than early October out in the desert.
And as much as Rotella may want to have EDC in June as it traditionally was held up until a couple of years ago, coronavirus may still be around then. Insomniac also has a conflict with its own Beyond Wonderland, which was moved from March to June 19 and 20. And June may be too hot for Camp EDC, which began in 2018 when the festival moved to May.
EDC Updates
All eyes have been on EDC as festivals in spring and summer have shifted to fall due to the pandemic. Rotella, initially confident Covid-19 would clear out by May, has dropped several updates pointing toward a reschedule.
Last Thursday, Rotella stated on social media platforms that Insomniac was “still working towards May” but has “contingency plans for June as well as other dates in the fall.” On Saturday, Rotella informed ticket layaway plan buyers that automatic payments would be halted. And on Tuesday, Rotella posted that the decision delay “hasn’t been about whether or not to do the event before it’s safe,” and, “I’ll have an announcement with all necessary changes coming this week so stay tuned.”
The most telling sign that EDC will not happen on its original dates—as noted by a Reddit user earlier on Tuesday—is that booked artists including Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Timmy Trumpet, W&W and Vini Vici removed it from their tour dates. Garrix and Guetta were among the first DJs to pull Ultra Music Festival from their schedules in March. The Miami festival was postponed shortly after to March 2021.
EDC on the first weekend of October would add to an already packed fall festival schedule. Lost Lands is pushing forward for September 25 to 27. Coachella is planned for the weekends of October 9 and October 16. Movement has shifted from Memorial Day weekend to September 11 to 13. Insomniac’s own Escape takes place Halloween weekend in Southern California. And expect the list to grow.